Optimistic Outlook Prevails

Lake Sports - High School Football Preview

Tavares Coach George Sneed Focuses On Helping His Team Improve Every Week

August 29, 2001|By Kevin Callanan, Sentinel correspondent

TAVARES -- Some may find the outlook bleak after a 1-9 season.

Not Tavares football Coach George Sneed.

Being upbeat is his specialty.

"You've got to accentuate the positive," said Sneed, entering his second season. "Hey, the year before, we were 0-10. We're getting better."

All kidding aside, Sneed and his staff are trying to rise above the challenge of their shallow depth chart and narrow their focus on the things they can control.

"We teach, teach, teach. We build on the things we can do. That's what we have to do," said Sneed, a Tavares native.

His optimism is rooted in the fact that he is exactly where he wants to be.

"My team plays with class, and it plays with heart," Sneed said. "We have a motto -- character and integrity are everything."

Still, he concedes, a strong defense doesn't hurt.

"Defense wins," he said.

Last season's defense performed well during the first seven games before tailing off down the stretch. Sneed is hoping for a more sustained performance this season.

Applying pressure to the opposition will be the assignment of senior defensive ends Phillip Hughley and Cole Scharlau. Both also are being counted on to play key offensive roles in the Bulldog passing attack.

Hughley (6-1/220) is the prototype tight end.

"He's an excellent run blocker with real good hands," Sneed said.

Scharlau (6-5/205) will line up at wide receiver. Sneed is hoping to exploit Scharlau's size.

"We count on his ability to outjump the coverage," he said. "We'll try to get the ball to him as much as we can."

Exactly how much remains to be seen.

The offense is in transition, shifting from last season's run-and-shoot spread scheme to a more conservative philosophy geared toward the ground game and ball control.

"We'll be more run-oriented," Sneed said. "We were great between the 30s last year, but we need to keep some long drives going, chew up the clock and keep the other team's offense off the field."

Leading those drives and taking the snaps will be senior quarterback Chris Cochran. Though a bit undersized (5-10/170), Sneed is impressed with Cochran's elusiveness and reflexes.

"He ran the option as a sophomore. He can read and react on the fly. He's already got good command presence -- and he can only get better," he said.

Cochran's main mission will be handing the ball off to tailback Justin Justice. A junior who also plays soccer and baseball, Justice was a flanker on last year's football team and should see his touches increase dramatically.

Keeping Cochran upright and giving Justice running room will be an offensive line that may be the Bulldogs' best weapon. Sneed thinks junior right tackle Ryan Smith (6-3/230) is ready to make his mark.

"Ryan is the leader of the offensive line," he said. "He started every game last year as a sophomore. This could be the year he gets noticed."

Reinforcing the right side next to Smith will be A.J. Cain (5-10/200), a junior right guard who consistently comes up big against larger-line foes.

"He plays huge," Sneed said. "He's tenacious and very quick."

In July, a large contingent of Tavares players, including the bulk of the offensive line, attended the Down 'N Dirty Camp in Lakeland, widely regarded as one of the best camps in the Southeast.

"We've raised the bar with these kids," Sneed said. "Our offensive line has really come together."

The coach admits his roster is thin overall and that staying healthy, especially at the skill positions, is vital in order to contend with district powerhouses South Sumter and Umatilla. Still, he sees no excuse for not aiming high.

"We've got to get a winning attitude. We need to keep our heads in the game and try to eliminate mistakes. Our goal is to get better each week -- the players and the staff," he said.

"If we can do the little things, and if the planets all line up right, who knows?" Sneed said with a laugh.